Chapter 191: The Ultimate Strategy

Spider-Man entered its second week, still the sole focus of the market. Despite a slight drop in screen share, it averaged an impressive 67%. The number of theaters showing Spider-Man increased by 139, from 3,549 to 3,688.

What does this mean?

In the U.S., theater chains are meticulously categorized by film type. A movie like Spider-Man, which had already ignited nationwide excitement before its release, was guaranteed to play in every commercial theater. Yet, in its second week, the addition of 139 more theaters—those typically reserved for horror, arthouse, animated, or classic films—proved one thing: Spider-Man was the market itself, synonymous with money.

Nobody says no to money!

Even on weekdays, fans' enthusiasm for Spider-Man didn't waver. Monday brought in $19.78 million; Tuesday, $13.89 million; Wednesday, $12.91 million; Thursday, $10.42 million; and Friday, a whopping $28.7 million. Over five weekdays, Spider-Man raked in $85.7 million in North America.

The numbers spoke for themselves, and Hollywood took notice. Following Titanic and Star Wars: Episode I, Spider-Man was poised to become the third film to break $100 million in its second week. The Hollywood Reader praised director Dunn Walker's brilliance: "While other Hollywood directors obsess over the near-impossible goal of a $100 million opening weekend, young director Dunn Walker has surpassed his peers, carving his own path. A $100 million opening is no longer a challenge for him—he's aiming higher, exploring feats like a $100 million second week! This isn't empty talk. As the weekend approaches, let's wait and see."

Sure enough, Saturday stunned Hollywood and North America alike. Spider-Man broke its own single-day box office record from the previous week's $37.98 million, hitting $38.06 million. A reverse drop in ticket sales—common for arthouse films but nearly unheard of for blockbusters—hadn't been seen since Titanic three years ago.

A second weekend outperforming the first? Dunn Walker's film once again redefined Hollywood's understanding of success. Fueled by his Forbes billionaire status, director Dunn Walker's popularity and draw only grew.

On Sunday, Spider-Man continued its dominance, earning $31.24 million. The second week's total? A staggering $155 million. Combined with the $117 million from the opening weekend, Spider-Man grossed $272 million in North America after just 10 days, securing the top spot on the annual box office chart.

Before this, Mission: Impossible 2 had been pushing toward $200 million. But under Spider-Man's market dominance, its screen share dropped to a mere 1%, making that goal a tough climb. Rumors swirled that Tom Cruise, the film's star and producer, might dip into his own pocket to ensure Mission: Impossible 2 crossed $200 million, securing better terms with Paramount for the third installment. Still, Paramount was thrilled with the results and even invited Dunn to the Mission: Impossible 2 celebration party via a personal email from chairman Sherry Lansing. Choosing a late May release and avoiding a direct clash with Spider-Man was a stroke of luck for them.

Compare that to Disney and Fox, who weren't so fortunate. Disney's Gone in 60 Seconds held up decently, earning $16.8 million in its second week, pushing its North American total past $30 million. Analysts predicted it could exceed $50 million—far from its $90 million budget and $60 million marketing spend, but at least it showed some fight against Spider-Man's dominance.

Fox's unnamed film, however, was a disaster. Its opening week grossed a meager $3.5 million, followed by $2.9 million in the second week. Theater counts plummeted from 2,734 to 1,543, with projections suggesting fewer than 500 theaters would show it by week three. Industry estimates pegged its final North American gross at around $10 million—catastrophic against its $75 million budget and $20 million marketing costs. The fallout was severe, with Fox's board questioning new chairman and CEO Tom Rothman. He deflected blame, noting the project was greenlit under predecessor Bill Mechanic and pinning the scheduling error on the distribution team.

Dunn hadn't yet received second-week overseas box office data, but the outlook was promising. Spider-Man's global total might surpass $500 million by the end of week two. In July, the film would hit more countries, including the lucrative Asian market.

Dunn got his hands on a poster from across the sea and couldn't help but chuckle. Despite joining the WTO, special policies limited Hollywood's box office share there to 25%, not the standard 41%, with distribution handled by China Film Group, who also designed the poster. It featured a striking image of Spider-Man swinging between New York skyscrapers, but what stood out was the bold text at the top: "5 Billion!" Below, in smaller print: "A blockbuster from 5-billion-director Dunn Walker!" Dunn shook his head. In that market, a 50-billion-yuan net worth likely made him the richest man—an enticing marketing hook, but perhaps a bit crass. While North America and Europe used his wealth for hype, plastering it on a poster felt excessive. Movies, after all, were art at their core—though for Dunn, they were also his bread and butter.

Meanwhile, Mr. & Mrs. Smith had passed its final review, with the crew nearly assembled. Once sponsor negotiations wrapped, filming would begin in France. Cameron's new film, Unsinkable, had locked in its cast: Matthew McConaughey, Mel Gibson, Charlize Theron, and Dunn's "old friend" Liv Tyler. The production team included Dunn, Cameron, Grant Hill, Gibson, and Cameron's partner Rae Sanchini, with a whopping 12 assistant directors. Spider-Man's early word-of-mouth marketing was complete, freeing Dunn to tackle his next big move: taking on Disney.

Disney, the world's sixth-largest media conglomerate, trailed only Warner, Viacom, Vivendi, News Corp, and Comcast. While Dunn's studio triumphed in the summer box office, this was just one facet of the industry. Competing with Disney across all fronts was a daunting gap. Over the past two months, Dunn's three attempts to challenge Disney had failed:

He tried to invest in Nickelodeon to partner with Viacom, combining Dunn's content with their platform to rival Disney Channel. Viacom's arrogance and hesitation killed the deal. He aimed to bolster his animation division to compete with Disney's animation powerhouse but failed to recruit Chris Meledandri, acquire DreamWorks Animation, or make inroads with Pixar or Sony Animation. He pursued the Barbie movie rights to counter Disney's Princess franchise, but after two months of talks, Mattel partnered with Disney instead.

These setbacks taught Dunn that a titan like Disney, with its vast connections and strategies, couldn't be toppled with a single blow. He needed a multidimensional approach. Despite losing ground in TV, animation, and IP rights, Dunn wasn't discouraged. He had a trump card—an all-or-nothing strategy, a true masterstroke to bring Disney to its knees.